1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to curtain wall systems and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a curtain wall system incorporating a vertical mullion for engagement with an exterior mounting anchor configured to mate therewith in support of a structure, such as a sunshade, or the like, outwardly of the curtain wall.
2. History of Related Art
Curtain wall systems are well known in the building industry and generally incorporate a plurality of vertical and horizontal load bearing members designed for the support of panels which are both functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. Oftentimes the panels are glass, providing a substantially transparent finished curtain wall. Due to this transparency, it is sometimes desirable to mount shading structures above the panels. Obviously, the type of and/or weight of material disposed outwardly of any curtain wall, and supported thereby, could have a direct bearing upon the design of the curtain wall and/or the design of the curtain wall interconnection system that accommodates the outwardly mounted structures.
For reference purposes, representative glass curtain wall systems illustrating various commercially-acceptable design aspects are set forth and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,923 issued on Nov. 1, 1977. This system, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, is representative of certain curtain wall constructions. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,508, which issued on Feb. 13, 1990 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, teaches yet another paneled curtain wall system addressing aspects of curtain wall design and construction. The utility of curtain wall assemblies is well known, and curtain walls have received wide-spread commercial acceptance.
Glass panel curtain walls are very popular and are often designed and constructed with extruded aluminum members in association with steel mullions. The various components of the curtain wall system are fabricated at factories and either preassembled into subassemblies or transported to job sites where on site assembly occurs. In either case, the actual construction of the curtain wall occurs at the job site, and it is very important that consideration be given to efficiencies in construction from both safety as well as reliability standpoints. The vertical and horizontal mullions may also be constructed in predetermined shapes and lengths and assembled piece by piece into a building grid. The structural interconnection between the mullions and/or anchors extending outwardly from the mullions are, in many designs, configured for the most appropriate structural interconnection deemed appropriate by the designer and/or structural engineer.
As referenced above, structures disposed outwardly of glass panel curtain wall systems include sunshades. Such devices have been installed on buildings and over windows for many years. In the main, these structures are mounted outwardly from, secured to, and supported by the structural curtain wall mullions. In particular, the vertical mullion of the curtain wall is typically used to support the mounting bracket or anchor for the external structure such as the aforementioned sunshade. The assignee of the present invention has, for many years, installed sunshade systems externally of curtain wall systems utilizing various structural interconnection members. Likewise, other building systems have incorporated such sunshade support structures. It is well known that the manufacture of curtain wall systems includes both selective design aspects that are incorporated during the manufacturing process of curtain wall sections, as well as installation applications that are provided for during the application and/or installation process.
One of the most popular curtain wall designs in contemporary building is that of the generally contiguous panels members such as glass. The glass panels may be in a single or multiple pane configuration. Major considerations in the use of panel members are, of course, structural integrity, aesthetics, and the sealing to resist water infiltration and drainage of water that has infiltrated the panel members. In order to maintain such structural integrity as necessary to meet building codes, design consideration must be given to all loads upon the curtain wall system. Not the least of these loads is the portion of the curtain wall system that supports not only the panel members but any members and/or structures outwardly disposed therefrom. For example, a support member or anchor may extend from the curtain wall system for supporting sunshades and the like.
To date, many designs for cantilevered anchors extending outwardly from the vertical mullions of the curtain wall system have implemented configurations that include fasteners that penetrate through a front face of the vertical mullion and into a void. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,421,966, a sunshade is anchored to a vertical mullion via a plurality of fasteners that penetrate a front face of the vertical mullion and are secured through the void of the vertical mullion. The fasteners are oriented in-line with tension forces created by the sunshade. In this configuration, it may be seen that the fasteners above the support brackets will be placed in tension relative to all loads applied thereto due to the weight of the loads thereon.
Another design is that set forth shown and described in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/576,017 filed on Jun. 1, 2004. In that application, there is disclosed a curtain wall system wherein a plurality of holes are provided in a web section of a vertical curtain wall system allowing a cantilever member to be supported by a plurality of fasteners extending therethrough in a manner generally perpendicular to tension forces. In yet another embodiment of that invention, the cantilevered support member is specifically configured to matingly engage the vertical mullion web extending outwardly of and incorporating a portion of the curtain wall. In accordance with yet another aspect of that invention, a system for retro-fitting curtain walls with cantilever support anchors for the support of sunshades and the like is provided wherein a series of apertures transverse from a front face of a vertical mullion may be formed facilitating the coupling with and structural security of the cantilevered support anchors. In one embodiment, the anchor itself may be pre-fabricated and a pre-selected hole pattern may be provided therewith. In this manner, a template may be afforded by pre-drilling predetermined web sections of a vertical mullion therein and assembling the anchor thereto.